One of the most important topics related to productivity is procrastination. Because everything that will follow for you as an entrepreneur will not matter if you don’t implement action steps and to-do lists you need to perform. You need to beat procrastination behavior.

Procrastination behavior is one of the most significant challenges for everyone, and it is essential to learn how not to procrastinate.

What is procrastination?

You know that you need to work on your projects. This is on one side of you, but there is also another that tells you, “It’s ok not to start working on that particular project.” In such a way, you procrastinate when you choose the other side, which tells you that you don’t need to start working on a project.

Procrastination comes from the Latin word pro, meaning for, and eras, meaning tomorrow.

It is one of the most common problems we have when we work on something important or significant for us or our business. We know what we should be doing, but we put it off. We play games, go to time-wasting websites such as Facebook/Twitter/News and other social sites, and check our email and different inboxes. Everything but the tasks that are important to us and our business that we know we should be doing.

Academic procrastination, a specific type of procrastination prevalent among students, involves delaying academic tasks and can significantly impact academic performance and mental health.

Sometimes we avoid the hard work of finishing a project by suddenly finding a new, more exciting idea to start, or by using perfectionism to avoid making the current step ugly enough to actually ship.

Negative consequences of procrastination habits

We know that procrastination habits will bring negative consequences for all of us. But what are these consequences? It is much better when you know the consequences, so you will start trying different techniques to stop procrastination.

Let’s look at some of the negative consequences that procrastination habits can have on you:

1. Stress and anxiety

Procrastination often leads to last-minute rushing to complete tasks before deadlines. These last-minute things are causing high stress and anxiety. The constant worry about unfinished work can also lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, and difficulty sleeping.

2. Low self-esteem

Constantly procrastinating and failing to meet your own expectations can lead to a decrease in self-confidence and self-esteem. You may start to doubt your abilities and feel like a failure.

3. Poor quality work

As you can see, procrastination usually results in rushed and disorganized work, as there is not enough time left for thorough research and doing things. This will have a negative impact on your performance and reputation at school or work.

4. Missed opportunities

When you keep putting off important tasks, you risk missing out on valuable opportunities such as promotions, scholarships, or even personal goals. Procrastination can limit your potential for growth and success.

5. Negative impact on relationships

Procrastination not only affects your productivity and performance but can also have a negative impact on personal relationships. Constantly putting off tasks or commitments can cause frustration and resentment from friends, family, and coworkers.

6. Financial consequences

Along with potential career setbacks, procrastination can also have financial consequences. Missing deadlines or not completing assignments on time can result in late fees or penalties.

Why do you have a procrastination habit, and why must you stop procrastinating?

Humans, lobsters, and procrastination habit

Dr. Orrison Swett Marden (1850-1924), an American spiritual author, gives some interesting comparisons between humans and lobsters:

A lobster, when left high and dry among the rocks, does not have instinct and energy enough to work his way back to the sea but waits for the sea to come to him. If it does not come, he remains where he is and dies, although the slightest effort would enable him to reach the waves, which are perhaps within a yard of him. The world is full of human lobsters: men stranded on the rocks of indecision and procrastination, who, instead of putting forth their own energies, are waiting for some grand billow of good fortune to set them afloat.

Why do we do this?

Because of the uncomfortable situation that comes with working on important things, importance brings difficulty, unknowns, uncertainty, and unfamiliarity. It is everything that moves us outside our comfort zone. These tasks often trigger negative emotions such as stress and anxiety, leading us to avoid them. So, it is better to stay in the comfort zone instead of in something uncertain.

A procrastination habit and complacency

According to Terence T. Burton in his book Out of the Present Crisis, procrastination and complacency are the most significant wastes because they multiply existing waste, delay dealing with the inevitable, increase the size and complexity of problems, and negatively affect the organization.

It seems that procrastination has become one of the biggest enemies of humans and future development.

Why?

I agree that procrastination multiplies waste in the company. You cannot make something important in your business, for example, to decrease the waste of time, money, and energy, without doing something about that.

So, by not doing things, you increase the waste of time, money, and energy in your company. Simply, even though procrastination is enjoyable, it does not help you get the work done.

Managerial procrastination

John Flaherty, a professor of management at Pace University, wrote a book titled Peter Drucker: Shaping the Managerial Mind, where he discusses procrastination. The book is excellent, and I highly recommend it. Here are some interesting points of view:

Looking at procrastination from this point of view, Drucker saw it as the greatest thief of time and the most obvious impediment to achieving results. Drucker said, it was crucial to address procrastination, the normal human propensity to postpone to tomorrow what should be done today, to talk about intentions rather than work toward results, and to delay actions until ideal conditions prevail. All these factors contributed to lost opportunities, exacerbated emotions, produced psychological fears, and generated unnecessary pressures.

Equating procrastination with the fine art of staying apace of yesterday, he observed that postponement resulted in physical fatigue and psychological anguish that made the job seem increasingly difficult the more it was put off. His recipe for avoiding these pitfalls of procrastination in the first place invoked an alliterative triad of steps: definition, delegation, and deadline. The executive needed to define the problem or the task, delegate accountability to a specific person along with responsibility for the specific thing to be accomplished, and establish a firm deadline for completion. The definition ensured a sense of purpose, the delegation identified who was going to do the actual work, and the deadline substituted action for inertia. To offset the perils of procrastination, Drucker’s greatest single antidote was “to start.” Then, by doing a little bit on a regular and consistent basis, even the biggest project would diminish in size.

Simply, you must avoid getting stuck in narrative mode rather than diagnostic mode.

I would also add that hoarding templates as a substitute for doing actual work is productive procrastination.

Gain Pleasure and Avoid Pain

Simply, we are doing things to gain pleasure (payoffs of action) or to avoid pain (cost of work). However, all actions will have some costs, such as the investment of time, money, and effort. In this situation, we have a conflict between costs and payoffs.

Because costs are visible immediately when we first perceive a conflict, we react based on how costly we perceive it to be. We do that by weighing the anticipated costs and benefits of taking action. In most cases, the cost of work is far greater than the current suffering from the status quo (not taking any steps).

This conflict can also be seen as a struggle between the Present Self, which seeks instant gratification, and the Future Self, which focuses on achieving long-term goals. Prioritizing immediate rewards over long-term aspirations often leads to procrastination.

So, we need to eliminate the pleasure of not doing and avoid pain when we start doing something to stop procrastination. Yes, what we need is motivation.

So, again, why do you procrastinate?

You procrastinate because you think you aren’t motivated, and because of your thinking about the lack of motivation, you merely postpone things that you need to do now.

Quantification of Motivation and Unrealistic Expectations

Motivation is hard to quantify. Can you tell me how much motivation you have? Do you have some metrics to measure your motivation?

Understanding your procrastination habits can help you in this regard, as these habits often impact your motivation levels and contribute to procrastination.

Start asking yourself these questions:

• Why do I want to do this? The answers related to this issue will show you all the possible gains that you will get if you accomplish this project or task. For example, if your project that you procrastinate to start is designing an innovation system in your company, some of the possible gains or whys can be better innovation in products, processes, and business models, improved customer satisfaction, becoming the market leader, decreasing operating costs and so on.
• Why do I don’t want to do this? So, when you know your possible gains, you can continue with the pains or explain why you don’t want to start working on your project. For example, if the project that you procrastinate to begin is designing an innovation system in your company, some of the possible pains or whys can be: 1) you already work on several different projects; 2) implementation will require additional time; 3) you can’t be 100% sure that you will succeed with the gains and so on.

How to Break the Cycle of Procrastination

To break the cycle of procrastination, you must have a deep understanding of why you procrastinate in the first place. Often, the source of procrastination comes from a fear of failure, unrealistic expectations, or simply poor time management skills.

To overcome procrastination, start by identifying these underlying reasons. Once you understand why you procrastinate, then you can develop effective strategies to combat it.

Use your sequencing intelligence to determine which micro-task unlocks the rest of the project, and focus on just taking that very first step.

One powerful strategy is to start small. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on making progress. Break down large, daunting tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. This makes the task less overwhelming and helps you build momentum. Also, you must set clear goals and deadlines for each chunk and create a flexible schedule that allows for self-care and adjustments as needed.

Practicing self-compassion is also crucial. Acknowledge that it’s okay to make mistakes and that failure is a part of the learning process. By letting go of the fear of failure, you can reduce the negative feelings associated with procrastination and focus on making progress.

Another effective technique is to create a “stop doing” list. Identify tasks that no longer serve you or align with your goals and eliminate them. This helps you focus on what truly matters and reduces the clutter in your to-do list. Complement this with a “start doing” list, which includes tasks that align with your goals and values.

By understanding the reasons behind your procrastination and implementing these strategies, you can break the cycle and start making meaningful progress.

Let’s look closer at some techniques that you can use in overcoming procrastination.

1. Unprocrastination technique to stop procrastinating

Procrastination must be eliminated as you have seen from previous and this method, as the name indicates, is practicing not to procrastinate.

It comes from Leo Babauta (you can read more in his book 52 Changes), who recommends practicing this anti-procrastination technique for just 10-15 minutes a day. By focusing on actionable strategies to stop procrastinating, you can turn temporary productivity into a consistent habit.

He also developed the to-do list  that you can implement this technique:

1. Set aside time every day for un-procrastination. Start with 5 minutes on Days 1 and 2, and 10 minutes on Days 3–7. Set it at a particular time — say 9 a.m.
2. Before your start time, have a significant task picked out. Just one task. You only need to do the first 5 (or 10) minutes of it.
3. Clear distractions. Turn off the Internet, close all programs not needed, and plug in some headphones and music if required. Do all this before your start time.
4. When the start time comes, focus on just getting started. Nothing else in the world matters more than getting started at that point.
5. When you notice the urge to switch to something more comfortable, pause. Don’t act, just watch. It’s OK to have the urge, but what’s important is learning that the urge doesn’t control you. You can only watch it, even if that’s a bit uncomfortable. Look at the urge, breath, and then return to your important task.
6. Repeat the above step as many times as necessary.
7. Enjoy the process. When we fear something, we put it off — but instead, if we can learn to enjoy it, it won’t be as hard or dreadful. Put yourself in the moment, and enjoy the task. Let go of the dread and focus on the pleasantness, fullness, and joy of the doing.

2. Breaking it down technique to overcoming procrastination

Break down larger projects or tasks into smaller parts so you can visualize the projects even if you are already in this start-up stage. Often, these are unpleasant tasks that lead to procrastination, so breaking them down can make them more manageable.

Let’s look closer at how you can break down larger projects or tasks into manageable tasks to stop procrastination:

Think about what you want to achieve

What do you want to accomplish with this particular project or task? It is essential for the beginning to know possible achievements that will represent the gain side of your project.

To overcome procrastination, you must break your tasks into smaller pieces, focus on just taking the first step, and use the 5-Minute Rule to bypass your brain’s activation barrier.

Divide the task or project into 3 to 6 steps

You don’t want to have fifty or a hundred steps that will immediately bring procrastination as a solution to your brain. It is important to understand at the very beginning that you can do that, and it will not take too much time or too much effort. In such a way, you will decrease the pain part of doing this project or task.

Ensure the first step is actionable and takes no more than one hour

Many projects will stay in the planning stages only because you will not start them, and as the owner of the project, you can’t see the progress that you made implementing it. In such a way, the pain side becomes more active and stronger than the gain side even if you have identified all the gains, but you still cannot feel them.

If you want to eliminate this barrier or procrastination forces, you will need to make your first step actionable. Try using the sentence of the first step to start with the verb do, write, call, email, take, or something that you can immediately start and something that will not require more than half an hour to one hour to do. You simply want to make sure that starting the project is as much as possible easier for you.

You don’t need to know all the steps in detail to use this technique.

To-Do List:

• Think about what you want to achieve
• Divide the task or project into 3 to 6 steps
• Make sure the first step is actionable and takes no more than one hour
• Start working on the first task
• Allocate other tasks on your to-do list.

3. The visualization technique to stop procrastinating

The first time I heard about this technique was from a blog post many years ago from Thanh Pam from Asian Efficiency, who recommends the envision film as a technique to stop procrastination. Later, I have tested it first on myself, then with my kids and later with entrepreneurs. So, from a first-hand I know that this technique for overcoming procrastination give some relatively good results.

With this technique, you will use the power of visualization to overcome procrastination. Simply imagine a role in playing a film of how you are working, how you see yourself completing this task in an ideal scenario, and what you will achieve or get when you have done this task or project. Simply, with the visualization, you want to see your “Future Self” and focus on your long-term goals and achievements.

Often, we procrastinate because we don’t know what the results of our work will be or what we will gain from our efforts. In such a situation, if you can not see your “Future Self,” it is not strange to use procrastination habits and delay doing the work.

Imagination is an important motivating force for all of us. If you can not imagine yourself doing the task, you can not expect to be motivated to start doing it. Such a visualization will show you all possible constraints on your execution so you can know possible solutions.

The basic idea is that you want to see yourself succeeding in a realistic situation.

To-Do List:

• Find a quiet place. Park, home, office, anywhere peaceful or somewhere you will not be disturbed.
• Close your eyes. You can better imagine and visualize yourself when you close your eyes.
• Relax for a minute. Try to relax for one minute. Don’t think about anything.
• Future Self. Imagine yourself working on the task of imagining each possible step.
• See the final achievements. It is important to visualize the result that will motivate you to start and do the work.
• Open your eyes and start working. Now, you can start working on your tasks.

4. Momentum and inertia technique to beat procrastination

This technique is beneficial to stop procrastinating when you feel that you are procrastinating to start doing some of your most critical tasks. The root of the method is the concept of building momentum by starting by doing something you need to do and then using inertia to finish what you have already started. In such a way, you are overcoming your initial resistance, and the rest will be much easier.

The basic premise for momentum is to motivate yourself to start doing some task, and in this way, one of the biggest motivators is when you set that starting something will not require too much time.

What will motivate you to start doing something? Is it a task that will require several hours of implementation or several minutes?

Just start it, start small, and try to build momentum that will push you to continue until you don’t finish your task or project. Start working on something for a few minutes. This will build momentum for you and push you toward starting to do things. But, you know, you will never stop an unfinished task even if you spend several minutes allocated to start doing the job. You have already spent several minutes doing something, and now, because of this expenditure (time and effort) from your side, you will push yourself to finally finish what you have started.

For example, this post has been on my mind for the last several weeks. But, one Sunday morning I say to myself let start writing the concept of eliminating procrastination in the next 15 minutes. In the end, I spent two hours writing this article, which is more than 4000 words long. You see. I built the momentum by saying that I would spend only 15 minutes writing the concepts about procrastination, and I used inertia to continue after writing this article’s first draft.

To-Do List:

• Build momentum. Build momentum by telling yourself that you will work for several minutes on something important for you.
• Start working on the task. You can start working on your task for several minutes.
• Use inertia. Use inertia to do all the work until you finish the task.

5. Timeboxing technique to Beat Procrastination

Timeboxing is a different method because it encourages you to focus on time instead of tasks. To use this method, you must allocate a certain number of hours or days, called a “time box,” to each activity. You then use this time to complete the task.

To-Do List:

• How long should the project or task take? Estimate how long the project or task should take to complete and allocate a set amount of time.
• Choose the length of time that works best for you. The Pomodoro® Technique is for time boxing that involves working in segments of time, usually 25 minutes.
• Set the timer to ring after 25 minutes and start working. This is the time that you will eliminate all possible distractions and work on your project or tasks. Only work on one thing, nothing else, within the scheduled time of 25 minutes if you use Pomodoro® Technique.
• When the timer starts ringing, take a five-minute break. This five-minute break allows you to return to your work with more energy and enthusiasm.
• Reset the timer. Reset the timer for the next 25 minutes and continue to work on your project or task.
• Take a 30-minute break. For every four cycles, take a 30-minute break.

6. Systemize things to beat procrastination

Many people procrastinate and waste their time “thinking” about projects and tasks and simply how to start doing things. And what I mean by that is that they are staying aside wondering what they will do as a first, second…

On the other side, most productive people have a system of doing different tasks, which maximizes the time they spend doing things and minimizes time trying to figure out their next step.

So, I want to say that a “system” is one way to ensure things will be done without procrastination.

All systems consist of three main things: input, output, and process. The input is your time and energy, and the output is, ideally, what you want to achieve. But if you want to create a system, you need to focus on creating reliable processes inside the system.

What is a system?

A system is a set of instructions that explain how to do certain things. One of the ideas behind Entrepreneurship in a Box is that each idea or topic we cover here will give you a prepared process that will help you do the right things in the right way.

You have politics at the highest level of your company. As you already know, your business has many different processes and subprocesses. On the subprocess level, you will have procedures.

What is a procedure and instruction?

The procedure is a set of written instructions that define all necessary steps required to perform activities inside the process. You need to remember that the process determines what will need to be done, while procedures define how you will do something.

I have found myself in a procrastination stage when I must start a new project. When I analyzed such situations, I came to the conclusion that the biggest reason for this procrastination is that I still don’t have a project plan, or what to start first, then second, etc., or what tools, information/documents, or any other direct or indirect input I will need.

So, for the next project, I decided to change something and stop procrastinating. I have created templates for different types of projects using my task management app (OmniFocus). These templates contained the general steps that must be completed to start the project. Something similar to a procedure with necessary steps. In such a way, I’ve succeeded in beating procrastination and starting to do things related to a specific project.

Instructions, on the other hand, will describe how you can implement the particular activity. For example, if your process is related to email marketing, and one of the tasks is sending broadcast emails to the subscribers, you will have the following:

• Process: Marketing
• Subprocess: Email marketing | Procedure: Steps for setting up email broadcasts in your autoresponder.
• Activity: Send weekly broadcast | Instructions: Steps to design and publish broadcast inside autoresponder.

I want to add one more thing related to this technique because it is essential. Do not procrastinate with the implementation of the project based on this method if you want to beat procrastination. This will probably take a significant amount of your time, but believe me, in the end, the outcomes will be excellent for you and your business overall.

To-Do List:

• Create a list of the most important processes for your business. What are the most essential processes in your company?
• Create a list with all subprocesses in those processes. What are their subprocesses?
• Create a list of all activities in each of these subprocesses. What actions are required for each of those processes/subprocesses?
• Procedures. Design all necessary steps you need to do to make processes (sub-processes) work.
• Instructions. Design all necessary steps you need to do to implement activities in your procedures.
• Accessibility. Make your procedures and instructions organized and easily accessible when you need them. Tip: Use Evernote to develop your systems.

7. The “70 Percent Rule” Strategy to Beat Procrastination

The “70 Percent Rule” is a powerful strategy for overcoming procrastination, popularized by Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos. The idea is simple: take action on a task when you have around 70% of the information you need. Waiting for 90% or more can lead to delays and missed opportunities, which can be seen as procrastination.

This rule is based on the principle that perfection is the enemy of progress. By taking action with 70% of the information, you can make significant steps toward your goals without getting bogged down by the need for perfection. This approach helps you overcome the procrastination habit by encouraging you to act rather than wait for the perfect moment.

To apply the “70 Percent Rule,” start by identifying tasks that are holding you back. Determine what information you need to take action and gather around 70%. Then, create a plan, set deadlines, and take small steps toward your goal. This proactive approach helps you build momentum and reduces the negative consequences of procrastination.

With this technique, you can stop procrastinating and make consistent progress toward your goals, even when you don’t have all the information.

8. Effective Time Management: Prioritizing Tasks and Managing Time

Effective time management is essential for overcoming procrastination and achieving success.

One of the best ways to manage your time is to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. The Eisenhower Matrix is a useful tool for this, categorizing tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important.

Start by listing all your tasks and categorizing them using the Eisenhower Matrix.

You must focus on tasks that are both urgent and important, as these should be your top priority. Next, go with important but not urgent tasks to prevent them from becoming urgent. This helps you avoid procrastination, stay ahead, and reduce the stress of last-minute work.

Avoiding distractions is crucial for effective time management. Create a “stop doing” list to identify and eliminate tasks that no longer serve you. This helps you focus on what truly matters and reduces the clutter in your schedule. Complement this with a “start doing” list, which includes tasks aligned with your goals and values.

By prioritizing tasks, using a schedule, and minimizing distractions, you can manage your time more effectively and overcome procrastination.

Related: Time Management Tips for Your Entrepreneurial Journey

Conclusion: Overcome Procrastination and Achieve Success

Overcoming procrastination and achieving success requires a combination of understanding the underlying reasons for procrastination, developing effective strategies to overcome it, and cultivating a growth mindset. By breaking the cycle of procrastination, applying the “70 Percent Rule,” and practicing effective time management, you can stop procrastinating and achieve your goals.

Remember, overcoming procrastination is a process that takes time, effort, and patience. It’s okay to make mistakes and encounter setbacks along the way. By staying committed to your goals and values, you can overcome procrastination and achieve success.

In conclusion, procrastination is a common problem with serious consequences, but it’s not a lifelong trait. By understanding the underlying reasons for procrastination, developing effective strategies to overcome it, and cultivating a growth mindset, you can overcome procrastination and achieve your goals. Stay focused, stay committed, and watch as you transform your entrepreneurial journey.